CLUB UPDATE A NOTE FROM YOUR CLUB MANAGER
A NOTE FROM YOUR GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT
March is here! It is the time of year when the air is warmer, trees and the grass will start to turn green, and the days are longer. This means Spring is right around the corner. It will be nice to see the Spring flowers blooming.
We are rolling through February as I write this article and the winter has been different to say the least. Unseasonably warm, then cold, and very wet. Seems like every few days we get another weather system come through. We have completed a large portion of our tree work with more on the horizon. The trees addressed this season were either dead, out of the way, or to increase some air movement and playability.
The staff and I are eager to get the season started and look forward to seeing everyone here at the club. Our golf events are now on the calendar and we are busy working on our calendar of events for the Spring and Summer. I am personally looking forward to our opening tournament the first weekend in April. Birthday Night at the Water’s Edge will offer a complimentary meal and dessert for all of the month’s birthdays. Each month we will celebrate all the month’s birthday on one night. March birthdays will be celebrated on March 11th and April birthdays on April 15th. Chef Michael will feature “Create Your Own Pasta” for the March and April birthdays. Cookie of the Month; enjoy a complimentary cookie when you have lunch at the Water’s Edge. March cookie of the month is “Chewy Crunchy Chocolate Chip” and “Kentucky Derby Pie Cookie” for April. St. Patrick’s Day is Wednesday, March 17th. Please join us for drink features and Irish specials that Chef Mike will be preparing. Easter Sunday Brunch; spend time with family and friends for a delicious meal at the Water’s Edge Country Club on April 4th. We will be offering takeout meals as well as dine-in with limited seating. The last Friday and Saturday of March (26th & 27th) and April (23rd & 24th) slow roasted Prime Rib will be featured, so make plans to join us for dinner. Prime Rib take-out will also be available. Omelet & Waffle station will be offered on March 28th and will be offered every Sunday starting in April. The cost for this wonderful meal is $14++ per person from 10am until 1pm. Please note, that Daylight savings is March 14th, be sure to change your clocks 1 hour forward.
Airflow/sunlight throughout the course is crucial and limbing is the next best thing to removal. We still need to follow up this work with a stump grinder. Grind, clean up the debris, seed and/or sod back in fescue. Due to the weather, as of this writing we have been unable to get the tractors on the course to topdress fairways. As soon as the fairways firm up, we’ll begin. With some rain the sand should be settled down into the turf canopy before all our mowing takes off. I did have a contractor come in and aerify the fairways early winter. They punch holes to relieve compaction and help us “drive” roots deeper in these heavy clay soils. We have started leveling bad sprinkler heads in fairways. If the head was a full circle, we’d swap out with an adjustable to help in water management. This will be an ongoing process throughout the course all season. Water management remains a high priority and the head exchange is not the ultimate solution, but can help in some areas. PreEmergent application is scheduled for April followed by a bulk spread fertility in May. All these investments are designed to make the property “shine” and continue our transformation down the right road. Our poanna applications have also begun. It is the hardest weed to control, especially in a cool season grass environment. We will do our best to keep our foot on its throat until the heat gets too bad. At that point we will have to pull back a bit. We are very excited about this upcoming year under the McConnell Group. Our goal will be to expand upon the “golf” experience day in and day out. We continue to ask for you help with ball marks, divots (replace what you can and sand the balance, not just sand), and cart traffic. Any time you can avoid a high traffic area please do so, especially around sand traps. Swing the carts wide and stay in the fairways. I hope everyone had a great winter and we look forward to seeing you on the links!! Spring greens aerification is scheduled for:
April 5 & 6 following the men’s and ladies’ openers. Fall - September 7 & 8 Jeff Snyder
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